Graffiti – Art or Vandalism? [POLL]

Last night, I went out to my alley and noticed that somebody had left their mark on my neighbor's fence. It was black spray paint and the message was difficult to make out. My first thought was, 'how could someone destroy property of someone they don't know.' But not all graffiti is ugly. Do you think graffiti is art or vandalism?

Art can be found just about anywhere and in anything. But when it comes to graffiti, there is a thin line between art and vandalism. Many of the individuals that practice graffiti are very talented. I understand that graffiti is a way of expression, but it is also wrong to do.

Just imagine spending several thousand dollars to re-do the fence in your yard, just to come out and see it vandalized. Sure this person is expressing him or herself, but at the expense of someone else's property.

Amanda Benham@Flickr

Now with that being said, I have seen some graffiti that is awesome. It could be hung in a gallery and sell easily. Graffiti could be a form of art, if it was done with permission. That is the thin line.

The city of Amarillo sees it as destruction of property. They feel so this way so much so, that they have created a program called 'take back the wall.' This program was created about two years ago to try and clean up Amarillo. If a home owner or business has graffiti, the city will send a crew out to remove it.